I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to material or article handling devices, and more particularly to such devices which provide for engaging and emptying cartons and having means for opening the carton prior to the emptying operation.
II. Description of the Prior Art
There are a number of prior art devices for opening a carton and emptying its contents while conveying it from one location to another.
Heretofore known devices of this type have had one or more of the following characteristics: destruction of the carton; rough handling of the contents of the carton upon separation or removal of the contents from the carton; lack of adjustability of the means for moving the carton, thereby limiting its application; large physical size, thereby taking up valuable floor space; a requirement for accurate synchronization of the movement of various components; and high cost of manufacture and maintenance because of the use of a complicated structure and use of complicated parts.
My prior carton opener and unloader, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,342, issued on Feb. 10, 1976 solved many of these disadvantages of the previously known carton openers and unloaders. However, several problems were encountered with my prior device when cartons containing relatively small items were opened and unloaded. Most notably, the contents of the carton have a tendency to fall from the carton during the flap unfolding processing steps, and particularly during the step of unfolding the outer carton flaps when the inner flaps do not substantially cover the contents of the carton.